I’ve thought about trying the modular stuff from BQ, but I’m a little hesitant after having some growing pains with their Ender motherboards. Probably user error, but the emotional pain is still there.
I’ve tried getting the gloss finish using the Bambu 0.4x0.12 with SilkPLA - but - the issues I run in to are probably based on speed alone… no, that’s not true.
I think speed is a big player, but the issues I kept having were based in flat out print failures. I had to learn hard lessons, such as the fact that BS/Orca refuses to print lower tree support interfaces ON model. No idea why, it just starts printing rings, gets about an inch up, then of course the supports break loose for sheer lack of surface area at the bottom with which to attach itself.
However, the “tree strong” for some reason DOES incorporate the lower interfaces - so if I wanted to bad enough then I could’ve gone that route.
However, most of the epic failures had to do with the simple fact that I failed to realize that (basically across the board) SILK PLA almost universally requires 5-10 degrees hotter nozzle temp JUST BECAUSE. No idea, but it is one of those “common knowledge” things which people who print stuff apparently are just meant to know?
Anyhow, I only realized it when I consulted my Ender/Cura settings and realized that I had been forever printing Silk at 5 degrees hotter than normal, but had always thought it had more to do with the 0.12 layer tendency whenever I print silk. It never occurred to me that the “fix” wasn’t about printing at 0.12 “better”, but, rather, that the higher heat promoted better printing in SILK at all.
Since my logic was backwards, it never occurred to me to ramp up the heat settings on the Bambu until I did it out of frustration and, surprise surprise, the Silk filament printed beautifully…
But the print still failed because of the support interface issue, and the layer lines still showed up because… I dunno. Some subtle coding difference between Cura and Bambu/Orca?
I’ve gotten epically beautiful surfaces out of the Bambu - but not always. I’m still learning it, big time.
I posted this main post though because I’m annoyed with not knowing how to get the 0.2 to reliably work. Questions like “should I be printing ridiculously slow?” or “should I be printing hotter/colder?” or should I keep the door shut, or aux fan on, or only print 0.20 on any given Thursday when the Browns win the Superbowl?
I have no idea. And the more I mess with stuff, the worse it seems to get.
And confound if I don’t have a little 0.2mm needle to ream out that flippin’ 0.2mm nozzle now that it’s under-extruding and shooting filament out sideways.